The road trip, the world is public.
Today in history:On this day 269 years ago, Montesquieu, a French Enlightenment thinker and jurist, passed away, and his representative works include "On the Spirit of Law", "Persian Letters", "On the Causes of the Rise and Fall of Rome", etc., which laid the foundation for the development of modern Western political and legal theories, and also greatly influenced Europeans' views on Eastern politics and legal culture. Today is the first day of the first lunar month, the Chinese New Year, and Qingqiao International Security Group wishes everyone a happy, safe and smooth New Year. PoliticsVietnam ranked sixth in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions IndexAccording to AFP, recently, the international anti-corruption organization "Transparency International" announced the ranking of the "2023 ** Impression Index", and Vietnam's ranking among 180 countries and regions dropped from 77th in 2022 to 83rd last year. On a 0-100 scale, Vietnam's score dropped from 42 to 41. It is reported that Transparency International, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, ranks 180 countries and regions around the world on the integrity level based on 13 sets of independent data, experts and business people's impressions of the countries and regions surveyed.
Vietnam has vigorously cracked down on corruption in recent years, with a number of ministers and deputy ministers imprisoned, hundreds of them being investigated, and then Nguyen Xuan Phuc also resigned. But the ongoing anti-corruption campaign has had a negative impact, often delaying the implementation of key policies for fear of breaking the law, leading to slackness in many areas.
Overall, although Vietnam's performance declined last year compared to the previous two years, it still performed better than many countries in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand considered to be more corrupt.
Pakistan's former prime minister and former foreign minister were sentenced to 10 years in prisonCCTV News News, recently, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in prison in the leaked *** case. It is learnt that since the verdict came from the judges of the Special Court, if it is appealed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the verdict is still subject to change.
It is understood that the accusation is related to a confidential cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan's ambassador to Washington last year, and Imran Khan is accused of making public the contents of the cable. On December 13 last year, a Pakistani court indicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of leaking ***, and his deputy, Shasa Mahmoud Qureshi, a former Pakistani ***, was also charged in the case. There are reports that Imran Khan has pleaded not guilty to the charges and insisted that the contents of the cable appeared from others.
Imran Khan is known to have led the Tehreek-e-Insaf party to win the Pakistani National Assembly elections in 2018 and was subsequently elected prime minister. After his election, Pakistan's main opposition parties held frequent rallies and demanded the removal of Imran Khan, citing unfair and fraudulent elections. On April 10 of the same year, the National Assembly of Pakistan passed a motion of no confidence against Imran Khan. Imran Khan became the first prime minister in Pakistan's history to be removed by the National Assembly.
MilitaryU.S.** exports hit record highs in 2023According to Reuters, recently, relevant data showed that in 2023, the United States' military equipment to foreign countries will increase by 16, and sales will reach a record $238 billion. It is understood that there are two main ways for foreign countries to purchase from US companies, the first is to trade directly with arms companies, and the second is to negotiate with US embassies abroad for national defense, both of which must be approved by the United States. According to the U.S. side, the sale and transfer can be regarded as an important diplomatic tool of the United States, which has long-term and important implications for regional and global security.
Specifically, the U.S. approved sales in 2023 include $10 billion worth of high-mobility multiple launch rocket systems to Poland, $2.9 billion worth of AIM-120C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to Germany, and surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine. Military-industrial companies such as Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman have continued to share in the face of a global recession.
EconomyCambodia lowered the interest rate on foreign currency reserves
Cambodia-China Times News, recently, the National Bank of Cambodia said that due to high loan interest rates, last year, the growth rate of new loans of Cambodian banks reached only 48%, the lowest in 20 years. Among them, new loans to the hotel and catering industry increased by only 0.6,* and the wholesale sector grew by only 48% and 6% for home loans4%。To this end, the National Bank of Cambodia has decided to reduce the interest rate on foreign currency reserve deposits to enable banks and financial institutions to meet the financing needs of the private sector, ensure economic stability and encourage investment.
It is understood that in 2023, the National Bank of Cambodia's Cambodian dollar and US dollar loan interest rates will be as high as 1339% and 1108%, while the interest rates of Cambodian and US dollar loans of microfinance institutions are as high as 1744% and 162%, which has put a lot of pressure on Cambodia's economic growth. Since the National Bank of Cambodia decided to reduce the interest rate on foreign currency reserves, it has released US$1.2 billion in funds for the banking system, which will give priority to loans to the manufacturing sector.
SafetyFor the first time, WHO has issued a certificate for the elimination of trans fatty acids
Recently, the World Health Organization issued certificates to Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Thailand for the first time, affirming the progress made by these five countries in eliminating industrially produced trans fatty acids. According to the United Nations Information Centre, each of these countries has demonstrated its policy of eliminating industrially produced trans fatty acids and has established a sound implementation and monitoring system.
It is understood that trans fatty acids are semi-solid and solid fats, and there are two main types**: industrial production and natural occurrence. Intake of trans fatty acids increases the risk of heart attack and death from heart disease. There are no known health benefits of trans fatty acids, and industrially produced foods that are high in trans fatty acids are often also high in sugar, fat, and salt, such as fried foods, cakes, and ready-to-eat foods.
There is evidence that industrially produced fatty acids cause 500,000 premature deaths every year, and the World Health Organization issued an appeal in 2018 to hope that countries will eliminate industrially produced trans fatty acids from food globally by 2023, and at present, 53 countries have implemented control policies for this harmful substance, which has greatly improved the food environment, while the goal of eliminating industrially produced trans fatty acids in food has been postponed to 2025.
The Indian Navy rescues an Iranian fishing boat hijacked by Somali piratesAccording to AFP, recently, a spokesman for the Indian Navy said that on the Somali coast about 850 nautical miles west of the Indian city of Cochin, a total of "11 Somali pirates" hijacked the Iranian-flagged fishing boat Naemi, and the navy on the Indian ** Sumitra launched an operation to rescue 19 Pakistani crew members. According to the ** released by the Indian Navy, Somali pirates are standing on the boat with AK-47 rifles, Indian Navy commandos board fishing boats in the dark, holding rifles next to a group of pirates, and the Indian Navy *** hovers over the pirates' heads.
This is the latest attack on the Indian Ocean route in multiple days, after India said its forces rescued the Iranian-flagged fishing boat Iman, also hijacked by Somali pirates, and freed 17 crew members.
CultureThe China-Laos Railway staged the "Train Welcome Meeting".ASEAN financial news, recently, the Laos-China Railway cooperated with China Guangxi Radio and Television Station to jointly hold the "Train Meeting" activity on the C82 train of the Lancang EMU from Vientiane, Laos to Luang Prabang. The event invited singers, dancers and musicians from China and Laos to gather together to perform a number of famous songs from China and Laos, such as "Land of Freedom", "Walking All the Way", "New Year Overture" and "Toast Song", bringing a feast to the passengers who took the train and passing the good wishes of the Chinese New Year to every passenger.
2024 is the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the 63rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Laos, and the third anniversary of the opening of the China-Laos Railway. The China-Laos Railway Project has been hailed as a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, which has played an important role in spreading China-Laos culture and building China-Laos friendship.
Financial NewslettersWall Street ** news, recently, WTI *** closed down 1 in March$23, down 158% to 76$78 barrel. Brent closed down 1 in March$15, down 138% to 82$4 barrel.